Harry Kane Wins 70th Ballon d'Or as First English Recipient in 25 Years

Harry Kane claimed the 2026 Ballon d'Or in London on Monday after scoring 73 goals for Bayern Munich and England.

Harry Kane was awarded the 70th Ballon d'Or at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26, 2026. The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker finished first in the voting ahead of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. Kane is the first English player to receive the honor since Michael Owen in 2001 and the fifth Englishman overall to win the prize organized by France Football.

During the award period, Kane scored 73 goals for club and country, leading England to the World Cup semifinals while competing for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and Champions League. The ceremony, which began at 8:30 p.m. following a 30-minute delay, saw Kane succeed 2025 winner Ousmane Dembélé and 2024 recipient Rodri. A jury of 100 journalists selected the winner from a 30-player shortlist.

Other honors presented at the gala included Lamine Yamal winning Men's Young Player of the Year and Alexia Putellas claiming her third women's Ballon d'Or. Luis de la Fuente was named Coach of the Year after leading Spain to a World Cup title, and Spanish international Unai Simón received the Men's Goalkeeper of the Year award. Despite finishing second in the main rankings, Kylian Mbappé set a record as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 22 total goals, including 10 in the most recent tournament.